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MMA, UFC and WWE news and informationTue, 31 Mar 2015 17:37:54 +0000en-UShourly1http://wordpress.org/?v=3.9.3ProMMAnow.com UFC Macao staff pickshttp://prommanow.com/2012/11/09/prommanow-com-ufc-macao-staff-picks/
http://prommanow.com/2012/11/09/prommanow-com-ufc-macao-staff-picks/#commentsSat, 10 Nov 2012 03:11:00 +0000http://prommanow.com/?p=103280
Are you one of the die hard UFC fans who will be up with the sunrise Saturday morning to watch UFC Macao on Fuel TV? This is EXACTLY why DVR's were invented, no? The ProMMAnow.com (www.prommanow.com) staff (a few of us anyway) have submitted our thoughts and predictions for each of the six main card bouts. Check them out, let us know what you think. And, if by some crazy chance in hell you can out-pick and out-predict the staff, you will win something really cool like a virtual standing ovation or even possibly a Pro MMA Now T-Shirt.
Alright, here's what we're working with...

Rich Franklin (29-6, 1 NC) vs. Cung Le (8-2)

ODDS: Franklin -365 vs. Le +295

JAN GAETJENS: On paper, any fight involving Cung Le generally elicits words like “slugfest” or “dynamic stand up battle”. Here’s a new set specifically for this matchup: slow, methodical, dirty boxing, distance-going, grind. Rich Franklin wants no part of anything Cung Le has to throw at him on the feet. Look for Franklin to work from the clinch, score some takedown points, and grind out a very, very, very drawn out win. Franklin by decision.
BRIAN FURBY: Rich Franklin by TKO in round 2
KELVIN HUNT: Franklin has better cardio and will enjoy a size/reach advantage. I think he pushes the pace and finishes Le late in the fight via TKO
JACK BRATCHER: Cung Le with his bloodletting and hammertoe (not to be confused with camel toe) takes on the math teacher from Ohio. Cung has only been fighting once a year for the last two years, and he hasn't fought more than twice a year since 2006, when he fought three times. This will be his second fight of 2012, having defeated Patrick Cote via unanimous decision back in July. We know what Cung has. His UFC debut loss against Wanderlei Silva got fight of the night, but Wandy's pressure and power got the best of him. Coincidentally, Rich has also only been fighting once a year the past couple years. He is coming off a decision win over Wanderlei Silva back in June. We know MMA math doesn't work --- HOWEVER, when you're a math teacher it just might. I'm not sure Cung can go five rounds. This will be the first 5-rounder of his career and I think as he tires in the later rounds Rich is going to stop him. Franklin wins via TKO.

Thiago Silva (14-3, 1 NC) vs. Stanislov Nedkov (12-0)

ODDS: Silva -365 vs. Nedkov +295

JAN GAETJENS: Thiago Silva is yet another fighter in need of a win to stay alive in the UFC. Nedkov has the potential to do some serious damage in the division, but Silva needs this win too much to let Nedkov use him as a stepping stone. The Pitbull will push the pace and let his hands fly, overwhelming the Bulgarian journeyman. Silva by TKO.
BRIAN FURBY: Thiago Silva by KO in Round 1
KELVIN HUNT: Silva is the larger fighter with the better ground game. I think he'll strike enough to take Nedkov down and grind him out for a decision win.
JACK BRATCHER: Silva has fought once so far this year, losing a decision to Alex "The Mauler". Prior to that he won a decision over Brandon Vera last year, however, that fight was overturned to a no-contest after it came out that Silva had falsified his urine sample. Silva fought once in 2010, losing a decision to Rashad Evans. This is the same guy who at one time was 13-0, with 10 of the wins coming via knockout. He still has only won one fight via decision. Silva came out this week saying he wasted three years of his life training with ATT and is now part of the Blackzilians. I think that may be just what the doctor ordered. Nedkov is still undefeated, but has only one fight inside the UFC Octagon, a first round TKO win over Luiz Cane in Rio back in August. That was a huge debut for the Bulgarian. This could be fight of the night guys. Prior to his win over Cane, Nedkov's biggest wins were a split decision over Kevin Randleman and a TKO over Travis Wiuff, both in 2009. I'm a bit torn on this as it depends on which Silva shows up. I'm going to take a chance here and go with Nedkov. He's got a lot of momentum and I want to see some proof of this "new" Silva before I jump back on the bandwagon.

Tiequan Zhang (15-3) vs. John Tuck (6-0)

ODDS: Zhang +265 vs. Tuck -325

JAN GAETJENS: Zhang’s fighting for his UFC career here, and he’s up against a fighter in Tuck who has been dominating the regional scene. Tuck enters this fight at a perfect 6-0, and has yet to take a fight past the first round. Sure, Zhang has the home field advantage here, but it’s going to be hard for him to make a case to stay in the UFC with anything less than a stellar finish... which he won’t get… Tuck by TKO.
BRIAN FURBY: Jon Tuck by Unanimous Decision
KELVIN HUNT: I don't know much about either fighter. I'm going with Tuck via TKO.
JACK BRATCHER: Tiequan Zhang finished 14 straight fights before he ran into Danny Downes at WEC 53 in 2010. Most of his wins were in China against people you never heard of. In Zuffa competition he holds wins over Pablo Garza and Jason Reinhardt. Jon Tuck is from Guam and this is his UFC debut. He lost in the TUF 15 elimination round to Al Iaquinta via unanimous decision. All of Tuck's wins have come via first round stoppage; 3 KO's, 3 submissions. The oddsmakers have Tuck as a pretty significant favorite. You'd think the UFC could give Zhang a can in their China debut, but nope. Considering Zhang's strongpoint is his submission game and Tuck is an Abu Dhabi gold medalist -- and has knockout power, I'm going with Tuck via decision -- and no, John Tuck(er) must not die.

Paulo Thiago (14-4) vs. Dong Hyun Kim (15-2-1, 1 NC)

ODDS: Thiago +215 vs. Kim -275

JAN GAETJENS: Both of these guys are as streaky as they come. One minute they look to be skyrocketing into contention, the next we’re shipping them off to fight in China on a card that should really be called “Survivor: UFC”. Thiago has shown he has the ability to bully people on the ground, but Kim is tough to submit and, if he shows off the kind of technical striking that allowed him to squeak past Nate Diaz, he can come away the winner. Kim by decision.
BRIAN FURBY: Dong Hyun Kim by Unanimous Decision
KELVIN HUNT: I think Kim will be able to wear Thiago down and grind out a decision win as he normally does.
JACK BRATCHER: Both guys have significant victories in their UFC careers. Thiago has been on more of a skid lately though. Sure, he pulled off a win over David Mitchell at UFC 134 last year, but I don't even know who that is. I know he fought twice in the UFC and lost both times, but I couldn't pick him out of a lineup if he was standing next to LaVergne and Shirley and Gary Busey. Okay, I lied, yes I could. But you get the point. The fact remains, Kim has two losses in his career. One is to the current interim welterweight champ, Carlos Condit, and the other was to Demian Maia via injury. I predict "Stun Gun" takes this one either via decision or TKO.

Takanori Gomi (33-8, 1 NC) vs. Mac Danzig (21-9-1)

ODDS: Gomi +195 vs. Danzig -245

JAN GAETJENS: Takanori Gomi has an iron chin, and don’t expect Danzig to change that. I do see Gomi’s occasionally lackadaisical pace and suspect conditioning to be issues in this contest though. Look for Danzig to take the fight to the ground and use his heavy top game to win a 15 minutes grind. Danzig by decision.
BRIAN FURBY: Takanori Gomi by TKO in Round 2
KELVIN HUNT: Gomi is a headhunter nowadays and Danzig's too good on the feet to get caught with a haymaker. I think Danzig picks him apart and then takes a gassed Gomi down and submits him.
JACK BRATCHER: Remember when Mac Danzig got knocked out by Hayato Sakurai at Pride 33? That is his only knockout loss on record. And unfortunately for Gomi, that's his only chance of beating Danzig. Danzig's all-around game and more specifically his grappling/submission game will make the difference here. Danzig wins via submission.

Takeya Mizugaki (15-7-2) vs. Jeff Hougland (10-5)

ODDS: Mizugaki -415 vs. Hougland +315

JAN GAETJENS: If we’re working strictly off of history, I guess Mizugaki is due for a win? Hougland struggles to fight up to UFC caliber competition, and Mizugaki struggles to fight up to slightly better quality UFC caliber competition. I suppose when you combine those two metrics, Mizugaki wins this one and lives to fight another day in the big leagues. Mizugaki by decision.
BRIAN FURBY: Takeya Mizugaki by Submission in Round 1
KELVIN HUNT: Mizugaki is a very experienced fighter. I think he takes this one via decision.
JACK BRATCHER: Starting with his WEC debut in 2009, Mizugaki's entire Zuffa career has literally been up and down, win one lose one, win one lose one. And guess what -- he lost his last one -- so by default alone, I'm picking him to defeat Jeff Hougland here in just a few hours. Hougland is a BJJ blackbelt who runs his own gym in Chicago. He's 1-1 inside the UFC and 7 of his 10 wins have come via submission, but Mizugaki should be able to defend against the attack and take home the decision.--All odds courtesy of BetonFighting.com]]>http://prommanow.com/2012/11/09/prommanow-com-ufc-macao-staff-picks/feed/2Independent MMA Link Club: Bonnar and steroids, UFC Macao, BAMMA 11, interviews with Pettis, Couture, Le, Houglandhttp://prommanow.com/2012/11/07/independent-mma-link-club-bonnar-and-steroids-ufc-macao-bamma-11-interviews-with-pettis-couture-le-hougland/
http://prommanow.com/2012/11/07/independent-mma-link-club-bonnar-and-steroids-ufc-macao-bamma-11-interviews-with-pettis-couture-le-hougland/#commentsWed, 07 Nov 2012 17:09:49 +0000http://prommanow.com/?p=103134

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]]>http://prommanow.com/2012/11/07/independent-mma-link-club-bonnar-and-steroids-ufc-macao-bamma-11-interviews-with-pettis-couture-le-hougland/feed/0UFC on FUEL TV 3 live weigh-in results and photoshttp://prommanow.com/2012/05/14/ufc-on-fuel-tv-3-live-weigh-in-results/
http://prommanow.com/2012/05/14/ufc-on-fuel-tv-3-live-weigh-in-results/#commentsMon, 14 May 2012 19:50:35 +0000http://prommanow.com/?p=92358
FAIRFAX, Va. – Today's UFC on FUEL TV 3 weigh-ins took place today at the Patriot Center in Fairfax, Va., the same location that will host Tuesday's fight card which will air LIVE on FUEL TV starting at 8 p.m. ET (5 p.m. PT).
UFC on FUEL TV 3 headliners "The Korean Zombie" Chan Sung Jung and Dustin Poirier both weighed in at exactly 145 pounds, one pound under the featherweight non-title fight limit.
All fighters made weight without issue. Highlights included Cody McKenzie's new clean shaven look and "Filthy" Tom Lawlor's Genki Sudo dressed as Buckethead costume (see original). Lawlor is known for wearing costumes at weigh-ins that pay homage to great moments in MMA history.
In celebration of his 29th birthday on Tuesday, Lawlor announced in a pre-fight video interview that he also has something special planned for his entrance tomorrow night when he faces off with Jason MacDonald in the opening bout on the FUEL TV televised main card.
You can see Lawlor's costume from today and all the rest of it in ProMMAnow.com's on-demand video replay of the UFC on FUEL TV 3 weigh-ins.
The UFC on FUEL TV 3 weigh-in results are as follows:
MAIN CARD (FUEL TV)

Dustin Poirier (145) vs. Chan Sung Jung (145)

Jorge Lopez (171) vs. Amir Sadollah (171)

Donald Cerrone (155) vs. Jeremy Stephens (155)

Jeff Hougland (135) vs. Yves Jabouin (135)

Fabio Maldonado (205) vs. Igor Pokrajac (205)

Tom Lawlor (186) vs. Jason MacDonald (185)

PRELIMINARY CARD (Facebook)

Brad Tavares (185) vs. Dongi Yang (186)

Marcus LeVesseur (155) vs. Cody McKenzie (155)

T.J. Grant (155) vs. Carlo Prater (155)

Rafael Dos Anjos (156) vs. Kamal Shalorus (155)

Jeff Curran (135) vs. Johnny Eduardo (135)

Francisco Rivera (134) vs. Alex Soto (135)

[gallery columns="2" orderby="post_date"]]]>http://prommanow.com/2012/05/14/ufc-on-fuel-tv-3-live-weigh-in-results/feed/0Yves Jabouin eyes contender status at UFC on Fuel 3http://prommanow.com/2012/04/25/yves-jabouin-eyes-contender-status-at-ufc-on-fuel-3/
http://prommanow.com/2012/04/25/yves-jabouin-eyes-contender-status-at-ufc-on-fuel-3/#commentsThu, 26 Apr 2012 04:34:38 +0000http://prommanow.com/?p=91051[caption id="attachment_63559" align="alignright" width="216" caption="UFC bantamweight Yves Jabouin"][/caption]
When UFC on Fuel TV 3 rolls around on May 15 in Fairfax, Va., rising bantamweight Yves Jabouin (17-7) is hoping to use his first main card appearance for the promotion as a chance to establish himself as a top contender in the division.
A talented athlete with great striking, Jabouin first made his mark with Zuffa as a featherweight in the World Extreme Cagefighting promotion. Although he went 1-2 in the WEC, Jabouin acquitted himself well even in defeat, losing a close decision to Raphael Assuncao and getting stopped via TKO in a memorable back-and-forth slugfest against Mark Hominick.
As a result, Jabouin earned a spot with the UFC after it dissolved its sister promotion. Unfortunately, Jabouin was submitted at UFC 129 by Pablo Garza courtesy of a flying triangle.
Yves had felt somewhat undersized as a featherweight, and the usual size difference was exacerbated the 6’1” Garza’s height and reach.
“My past match ups, there was always a little bit of a size advantage towards my opponent,” Jabouin told ProMMAnow.com. “So after discussing it with my coaches, we decided it would be best to me to drop down to bantamweight to fight guys more my size and reach.”
Cutting weight is never fun and Jabouin is no exception to that rule. But his move to bantamweight has paid off so far with victories over Ian Loveland and Walel Watson.
Perhaps most importantly, Jabouin went the distance in both fights to show that the weight cut hasn’t affected his cardio.
“Going the distance both times, I was able to comfortably do all three rounds,” Jabouin said. “There’s always room for improvement, but I think 135 is a good weight class for me.”
Up next for Jabouin is Jeff Hougland (10-4), a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu brown belt that showed a well-rounded game to defeat Donny Walker at UFC 132 in his promotional debut. Given Jabouin’s skills on the feet, he’s expecting Hougland to eventually try and get the fight to the mat.
“I think he might want to take the fight to the ground,” Jabouin said. “He’s a very technical fighter, has good counterstriking, but I think my striking is on another level than his. He’s most dangerous on the ground, but I’m not very worried about that.”
Jabouin’s confidence in his ground game comes from the slew of tough training partners he has at the highly-touted Tristar Gym in Monteal. Besides the likes of UFC welterweight champion and lightweight talent John Makdessi, Jabouin also has the luxury of sparring with two UFC fighters in his own weight division -- Miguel Torres and Ivan Menjivar.
“Each and every guy that you’re going to be training with is at a level that you’re going to have to improve yourself just to exchange with them,” he said. “It makes the preparation that much better.
“All of my partners are UFC fighters, whether it’s Ivan Menjivar or Miguel Torres. You always have that little bit of butterflies as if you’re going into the actual fight.”
Training each day with two submission specialists such as Menjivar and Torres, Jabouin feels he can handle Hougland’s ground attack.
“I definitely think I have training partners who are much more dangerous with their Jiu Jitsu,” Jabouin said. “But he’s a very technical fighter, so I’ll have to be on point in every aspect.”
Jabouin and Houghland have competed in MMA professionally for a little over a decade. However, including his WEC experience, the UFC on Fuel bout will be Jabouin’s seventh in the octagon, versus only two appearances for Hougland.
“Experience is one of the most important aspect when it comes to professional fighting,” Jabouin said. “I’ve been under pressure. I’ve gone the distance. I’ve been in practically every situation in the game. That does pose an advantage.”
For the first time in his UFC career, Jabouin will also get the chance to compete on the main card, and he’s looking to take full advantage of that opportunity and move to 3-0 at 135 pounds.
“I think this is a fight that will bring me up into the rankings,” he said. “It’s going to be my first main card event for the UFC, so I’m really excited and just can’t wait to go in there.”
Yves asked to thank following: Headrush, Hayabusa, Adrenaline Tattoos, Full FX, Tristar Gym, and FightHouse MMA Management]]>http://prommanow.com/2012/04/25/yves-jabouin-eyes-contender-status-at-ufc-on-fuel-3/feed/1Bisping vs. Boetsch and Barao vs. Hougland added to UFC 148 this summerhttp://prommanow.com/2012/03/19/bisping-vs-boetsch-and-barao-vs-hougland-added-to-ufc-148-this-summer/
http://prommanow.com/2012/03/19/bisping-vs-boetsch-and-barao-vs-hougland-added-to-ufc-148-this-summer/#commentsMon, 19 Mar 2012 18:46:23 +0000http://prommanow.com/?p=88628Today the UFC announced two bouts for UFC 148 that's set to take place on July 7th in Las Vegas, Nevada. A middleweight bout between Michael Bisping and Tim Boetsch as well as a featherweight bout between Renan Barao amd Jeff Hougland have been verbally agreed upon. The targeted main event will be the third match up between Dominick Cruz and Urijah Faber. Cruz will be looking to defend his bantamweight title for the second time against Faber as he took a unanimous decision victory over him at UFC 132.
Michael Bisping(22-4) is coming off a close unanimous decision loss to Chael Sonnen earlier this year at the UFC on FOX 2 event. Bisping had previously won four consecutive bouts prior to the loss to Sonnen, and the loss allowed Sonnen to gain his much sought after rematch with Anderson Silva later this summer.
Tim Boetsch(15-4) is coming off an outstanding come from behind TKO victory over former number one contender Yushin Okami last month at UFC 144. Boetsch has found new life in the middleweight division after competing as a light heavyweight for the majority of his career. He has won three consecutive bouts as a middleweight and a win over Bisping would put him firmly in the title contention mix.
Renan Barao(28-1) is coming off a dominant unanimous decision win over top ten bantamweight Scott Jorgensen at UFC 143. Barao lost his first professional bout but has rebounded to win his last 29 fights in a row. He has finished 19 of those opponents, 13 wins via submission, and 6 wins via TKO/KO. A win here would have to put him in the discussion to face the winner of the Cruz vs. Faber fight in the main event.
Jeff Hougland(10-4) is coming off unanimous decision win over Donny Walker at UFC 132 which was his UFC debut. Hougland, a submission specialist, has won nine consecutive fights after starting his career at a disappointing (1-4).
The tentative fight card for UFC 148 is below: